Spring seat construction



March 2, 1948. s. OVERBY ETAL 2,437,119

SPRING S EAT CONSTRUCTION i Filed Oct. 15, 1943 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.5..

and 615. 1116211, Sr. M

57 1 flrroxwcv- March 2, 1948. s. OVERBY Er AL SPRING SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed pct. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN 1- 'EN TORS. Sianlqy Overlay and CS. ViaLLSn 018, filed December Patented 2, 1948 UNITED STAT seams saarcoivsrnucnon Stanley Over!!! Sn, Loo Angel said Over-by and Charles s. van. 8. said Vtall an!!! orto Application Ma... 15, me nasoasza z cums. (oi. 15540) Our invention relates to spring seat construction comprising a'platform supported by sprin means upon a framework.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an improved spring seat construction that will result in increased comfort andresilience, economy in manufacture, general superiority and serviceability, relative simplicity, inexpensiveness in constructionand general efficiency.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully ap-.- pear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely ments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

Cross-reference is hereby made, to an application for patent of Stanley Overby, Serial No. 569,-

20, 1944. on Spring seat construction," which is a continuation in part of the present application.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1, with portions of the frame broken away and partly in section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 30 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a face view, with a portion broken away, of the construction shown in section in Fig. 3. l Fig. 5 'is an enlarged section taken on the line .5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6. is a perspective view of an alternative bracket construction.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged section taken on the line l| of Fi 2.

describes embodi-. 15

struction combining the constructions of Figs. 2

and 9. v

Referring more in. detail to the drawings, the

I reference number 9 generally designates a frame- 5 work of a chair or other seat. The framework comprises a frontrail III, a rear rail l2 and side rails l3. Arms are indicated at I4.

A platform is supported within a spring steel frame 13. A fabric covering I1 is fastened within the frame l3 by any suitable means; coil springs I! are suggested in the drawings. Hooks l9, looped around the frame l8, are hooked through thefabric l1 along the front of the seat covering ll. Similar hooks iii are employed at opposite sides of the Also mounted within the frame I6 is a series of bent springs hooked over the front and rear members of the frame IS. The springs 20 Fig. 8 is aside elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 'l.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation, partly another form of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line l0l0 of Fig. 9.

in section, of I Fig. 11 is an enlarged section taken on the line |l-ll of Fig. 10. v

Fig. 12 is a still further enlarged transverse section taken on the line I2 -l2 of Fig-11.

Fig. 13 is a broken, perspective view of a spring element together with portions of associated parts.

Fig. 14 is a broken, sectional view of a con- 'have helical loops 23 with legs are preferably made of successive hairpin turns reversed with respect to each other, all the hairpin turns lying in a-single plane. Coil springs 2| hook over the side members of the frame l3 and connect with loops in the turns of the springs 20, as shown in F18.

Abutting ends 22 in a ferrule 23. Flanges 24 and 25 on the ferrule are held together by lips 26 that are punched out of the flange 25, leaving openings 21. The lips 23 are passed through openings 23 in the flange 24 and are Front springs for supporting the frame jecting tangentially from the helix. When at rest, the leg 30 is substantially horizontal and the leg 3| is upwardly inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal.

The outer end of the leg 30 is bent around a bearing 32 staple 33 driven into theback of the'front rail Hi.- The bearing 32 may be made of compressed fibrous material impregnated with a lubricant such as graphite, so that the rotary connection between the bearing 32 and the staple 33 is lubricated at all times, preventing squeaking during use. It will be noted that the width ing 32 is only slightly less than the distance between the legs of the staple 33 so as to substantially eliminate side motion of the bearing.

The rear portion of the frame I3 is supported by compound springs that have a lower coil 34 and upper coil '35 wound in opposite directions and connected by a substantially horizontal leg member 36. The lower coil 34 has a substantially horizontal, tangent leg member 31 that is bent at corners of the frame l6.

1. Y of the frame It are encased bent parallel with the flanges I 24 and 25, as 'best shown in Fig. 3. is

30 and 3| prowhich is rotatably mounted upon a of the bear- 3 right angles, as suggested at. The bent end 38 is maintained in a bracket 38. The bracket 36 comprises a back plate 48 and a front plate 4| with aligned screw openings 42. The front plate 4| has a channel whose members 43 and 44 are disposed substantially at right angles to each other, for respectively holding the leg 31 and the bent end 38 of the leg 31. This arrangement tends to prevent lateral turning or twisting.

movement of the lower coil 34.

The upper leg 45 of the spring 35 is disposed at an acute angle to the horizontal. The end of the leg 45 is bent substantially at right angles, as shown at 46. The leg '45 and its bent end 46 are firmly fastened to the frame |6 by means of clips 41 and 48 arranged substantially at right angles to each other at opposite sides of each rear corner bend in the frame |6 and at opposite sides of the angular bend connecting the leg 45 and its end 46.

The clips 41 and 48 are each formed of a single piece of resilient material bent upon itself. The clip 41 is bent to receive the frame l6 and the thereunder disposed leg 45, while the clip 48 is bent to receive the frame i6 and the thereunder disposed bent end 46. Flanges 49 and 56 depend from the bodies of the clips 41 and 48, with the flanges 49 gripping the bottom edges of the flanges 56, as best shown in Fig. 5.

It is believed clear to one skilled in the art, without further illustration or description, the upper legs 3| of the front coil springs 29 have bent ends similar to the bent ends 46, which extend along under the front member of the frame l6 and are held thereunder by clips and 52 similar to clips 41 and 48. The bent ends of the legs 3| are thus fastened to each side of the front corners of the frame I 6, in order to provide a substantially rigid connection of the spring ends 'with the frame l6,'to, avoid twisting or lateral play at such ends.

In the form shown in Figs. 9 to13, a chair at has a base frame indicated at 55, which is supported upon legs 56. The base frame 55 has a front rail 51, a rear rail 58 and a. middle rail 59.

A seat frame 6| of the chair 68 has front and rear rails 62 and 63 respectively. Suitable arms 64 and back 65 are mounted upon the seatv frame 6|.

Front coil springs 66- resiliently support the front of the seat frame 6| from the front rail 51. The upper arms 61 of the springs 66 have right angularly bent ends fixed in brackets 39, on the under side of the front rail 62 of the seat frame.

The lower arms 68 of the coil springs 66 have pivotal connections 69 with swivel arms 18. The arms are flexible between the pivots 69 and loops 1| to permit the ends connecting with the pivots 69 to swing. The pivotal connections 69 operate on axes parallel with the front rail 51. The loops 1| of the swivel arms 10 engage grooved posts 12, which in turn are screwed to the front rail 51, as-noted at 13. The posts 12 are mounted adjacent opposite sides of the base frame 55, as shown in Fig. 10.

Each side of the rear portion of the seat frame 6| is supported by oppositely wound coil springs 14 and that are connected by a substantially horizontal arm 16. An upper arm 11 connects the upper coil 14 to a bracket 39 on the under side of the rear seat rail 63. An arm 18 connects the lower coil 15 with a bracket 39 on the top of the middle rail 59. It is to be understood that the outer ends of the arms 11 and 18 have right angular bends that are engaged by the brackets 36, to prevent twisting of the spring supports, except inherent flexibility thereof.

The form in Fig. 14 is a combination of the forms shown in Figs. 2 and 9. In the form shown in Fig. 14 the platform I6 is. supported at the rear by coils 34, 35 and by arms 36, 31 and 45, as in Fig.2, but the front of the platform I5 is supported by springs 66, arms 68, 18, pivots 68 and posts 12, as in Figs. 9 and 10. The upper arm 3| of the coil spring 66, in Fig. 14, is the same as arm 3| in the form'in Fig. 2 and the latter arm 3| is fastened to the frame |6 as described in connection with Fig. 2.

The use of our invention is believed clear. The coil springs 2| resist lateral sway of the springs 20. The upper arms 3| and 45 are firmly held against twisting. The same is true of the lower arm 31. The lower front arm 36 has an excellent swinging connection with the frame, by means of the bearing 32, which is continuously lubricated.

In the use of the form shown in Figs. 9 to 13, the rear springs provide double coil support for the rear of the seat frame 6|. The ends of the springs are likewise held against twisting, by the brackets 39. The lower arm 68 of the coil 66 may swing about the pivot 69, during vertical movements of the seat frame 6|, due to the flexibility of the supporting arm 16. This enhances the vertical resiliency at the front of the frame. At the same time the arm 10 is free to swivel around the post '12, permitting a lateral freedom of movement of the coil 66. This compound flexibility or movement about two axes at right angles to each other produces a very comfortable spring support.

While we have illustrated and described what we now regard as the preferred embodiments of our invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. We, therefore, do not wish to restrict ourselves to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail ourselves of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a seat construction, a framework, a frame for supporting a seat, resilient means supporting ,the frame on the framework, said meansincluding spring elements each of which comprises two vertically disposed and oppositely wound coils having a horizontally disposed leg connecting the coils in laterally offset relation to each other, the upper coil having an upwardly inclined terminal leg extending from the upper coil and provided with an angular extension, and the lower coil having a terminal leg projecting in a direction substantially opposite to that portion of the terminal leg that stems from the upper coil, the

its therewith angular extension to the frame-' work to prevent vertical and rotative movement of said leg, to functionally interpose both coils in the spring support of the seat-supporting frame.

2. In a seat construction, a framework, a frame porting the frame on the framework including spring elements, each of which comprises upper. and lower coils between said frame and framework and interconnected in oflset relation to each other, the upper coil having a leg extending parallel with the sides of the frame and around a corner thereof, means to fasten said leg at opposite sides of the corner of said frame, the lower coil having a leg extending in a direction opposite to the direction of said first mentioned leg and in parallel relation to the inside of the side rails of said framework, said last named le provided with a bent end, and a bracket secured to the inner face of the rails, said bracket having a channel to receive a portion of theleg and the bent end thereof to prevent rotative movement thereof during flexing of the spring elements.

STANLEY OVERBY.

CHARLES S. VIALL. Sn.

nnrmmncns orrnn Number Number 45,157 372,778 388,121

UNITED STATE8FATENTB' Name 7 Date Ereund Nov. 12, 1940. Real] Mar. 19, 1895v Quinn Sept. 27, 1898 Howell Mar. 31, 1903 Shaifler Dec. 15, 1903 Scheible Mar. 11, 1913 Compin 2 Aug. 19, 1930 Taylor Jan. 31, 1939 Wolfe May 16, 1939 Kronheim July 8, 1941 Kronheim' July 29, 1941 Neely Jan. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Apr. 1, 1935 GreatBritain May 11, 1932 Great'Britain Jan. 12, 1933 The following referencesare of record in the file. of this patent: 

